Method of fabricating vertical field effect transistors with protective fin liner during bottom spacer recess etch

ABSTRACT

A method of fabricating a vertical field effect transistor comprising that includes forming openings through a spacer material to provide fin structure openings to a first semiconductor material, and forming an inner spacer liner on sidewalls of the fin structure openings. A channel semiconductor material is epitaxially formed on a surface of the first semiconductor material filling at least a portion of the fin structure openings. The spacer material is recessed with an etch that is selective to the inner spacer liner to form a first spacer. The inner spacer liner is removed selectively to the channel semiconductor material. A gate structure on the channel semiconductor material, and a second semiconductor material is formed in contact with the channel semiconductor material.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to methods of forming vertical finFETdevices and the electronic device structures produced thereby, and moreparticularly to a method of epitaxially forming the drain, channel, andsource of a vertical finFET.

Description of the Related Art

A Field Effect Transistor (FET) typically has a source, a channel, and adrain, where current flows from the source to the drain, and a gate thatcontrols the flow of current through the channel. Field EffectTransistors (FETs) can have a variety of different structures, forexample, FETs have been formed with the source, channel, and drainformed in the substrate material itself, where the current flowshorizontally (i.e., in the plane of the substrate), and FinFETs havebeen formed with the channel extending outward from the substrate, butwhere the current flows vertically, as compared to a MOSFET with asingle planar gate. Depending on the doping of the source and drain, ann-FET or a p-FET may be formed.

Examples of FETs can include a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effecttransistor (MOSFET) and an insulated-gate field-effect transistor(IGFET). Two FETs also may be coupled to form a complementary metaloxide semiconductor (CMOS), where a p-channel MOSFET and n-channelMOSFET are connected in series.

With ever decreasing device dimensions, forming the individualcomponents and electrical contacts become more difficult. An approach istherefore needed that retains the positive aspects of traditional FETstructures, while overcoming the scaling issues created by formingsmaller device components.

SUMMARY

A method of fabricating a vertical field effect transistor includesforming a low-k spacer material on a first semiconductor material for afirst of a source region and a drain region. Openings may be formedthrough the low-k spacer material to provide fin structure openings tothe first semiconductor material. An inner spacer liner is then formedon sidewalls of the fin structure openings, wherein a surface of thefirst semiconductor material remains exposed. Channel semiconductormaterial is then epitaxially formed on the surface of the firstsemiconductor material. The low-k spacer material is then recessed withan etch that is selective to the inner spacer liner to form the firstlow-k spacer. The inner spacer liner is removed selectively to thechannel semiconductor material. A gate structure is formed on thechannel semiconductor material. A second low-k spacer is formed on thegate structure. A second semiconductor material for a second of thesource region and the drain region is formed in contact with the channelsemiconductor material.

In another embodiment, the method of fabricating the vertical fieldeffect transistor includes forming a first spacer material on a firstsemiconductor material for a first of a source region and a drainregion. Openings can then be formed through the first spacer material toprovide fin structure openings to the first semiconductor material. Aninner spacer liner is then formed on sidewalls of the fin structureopenings, wherein a surface of the first semiconductor material remainsexposed. Channel semiconductor material is then epitaxially formed onthe surface of the first semiconductor material. The first spacermaterial is then recessed with an etch that is selective to the innerspacer liner to form a first portion of the first spacer. The innerspacer liner is removed selectively to the channel semiconductormaterial, wherein a portion of the inner spacer liner remains to providea second portion of the first spacer that is present between the firstportion of the first spacer and the channel semiconductor material. Agate structure is formed on the channel semiconductor material. A secondspacer is formed on the gate structure. A second semiconductor materialfor a second of the source region and the drain region is formed incontact with the channel semiconductor material.

In another embodiment, a vertical semiconductor device is provided thatincludes a first semiconductor material for a first of a source regionand a drain region and an epitaxial fin channel atop a first channelinterface portion of a surface the first semiconductor material. A firstspacer also contacts the surface of the first semiconductor material,wherein the first spacer comprises a low-k portion and an inner spacerportion, the inner spacer present between the low-k portion and theepitaxial fin channel. A gate structure is present atop the first spacerand is in direct contact with the epitaxial fin channel. A second spaceris formed atop the gate structure, wherein a portion the epitaxial finchannel is exposed by the second spacer to provide a second channelinterface portion. A second semiconductor material for a second of thesource region and the drain region is formed atop the second spacer andis in contact with the second channel interface portion of the epitaxialfin channel.

These and other features and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof,which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will provide details in the following description ofpreferred embodiments with reference to the following figures wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a substrate that has beenetched to provide device regions of semiconductor material having adielectric cap that are separated by an isolation region, in accordanceto with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view depicting epitaxially forming afirst semiconductor material in each of the device regions for at leastone of a source region and a drain region, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3A is a side cross-sectional view depicting forming a first low-kspacer material on a first semiconductor material for a first of asource region and a drain region, and forming openings through the firstlow-k spacer material to provide fin structure openings to the firstsemiconductor material, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3B is a side cross-sectional view of etching a first portion of thefirst low-k spacer material, while a second portion of the first low-kspacer material is protected by an etch mask before forming theconformally deposited inner spacer liner, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view depicting forming a conformallydeposited inner spacer liner on at least the sidewalls of the finstructure openings, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view depicting etching the conformallydeposited inner spacer liner to remove the horizontally orientatedportions and expose a portion of the first semiconductor material at abase of the fin structure openings, wherein a remaining vertical portionis present on sidewalls of the fin structure openings, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6A is a side cross-sectional view depicting one embodiment of thepresent disclosure, in which the deposited inner spacer liner materialis removed from one device region of the substrate, while a remainder ofthe spacer liner material is protected from being removed from a seconddevice region of the substrate.

FIG. 6B is a side cross-sectional view depicting one embodiment of thepresent disclosure, in which the deposited inner spacer liner materialis partially removed from one device region of the substrate, while aremainder of the spacer liner material is protected from being removedfrom a second region of the substrate.

FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view depicting epitaxially formingchannel semiconductor material on the surface of the first semiconductormaterial, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view depicting recessing the low-kspacer material with an etch that is selective to the inner spacer linerto form the first low-k spacer, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 9A is a side cross-sectional view depicting removing a portion ofthe inner spacer liner selectively to the channel semiconductormaterial, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9B is a side cross-sectional view depicting removing an entirety ofthe inner spacer liner selectively to the channel semiconductormaterial, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view depicting forming a gatedielectric and work function metal stack on the channel semiconductormaterial, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view depicting forming a gateconductor on the gate dielectric and work function metal stack that isdepicted in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a side cross-sectional view depicting forming a secondspacer, e.g., second low-k spacer, on the structure depicted in FIG. 11,in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view depicting forming an etch maskover the second region of the substrate, and forming a firstconductivity type of a second of a source region and a drain region inconnection with the channel semiconductor material in the first regionof the substrate, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 14 is a side cross-sectional view depicting forming an etch maskover the second region of the substrate, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15A is a side cross-sectional view depicting forming a secondconductivity type of a second of a source region and a drain region inconnection with the channel semiconductor material in the second regionof the substrate to provide one embodiment of a vertical FETsemiconductor device, in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 15B is a side cross-sectional view depicting a vertical FETsemiconductor device including an air gap is enclosed between a firstlow-k spacer and epitaxially formed semiconductor material that providesthe channel region of the device, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Detailed embodiments of the claimed structures and methods are disclosedherein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely illustrative of the claimed structures and methods that maybe embodied in various forms. In addition, each of the examples given inconnection with the various embodiments is intended to be illustrative,and not restrictive. Further, the figures are not necessarily to scale,some features may be exaggerated to show details of particularcomponents. Therefore, specific structural and functional detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as arepresentative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the methods and structures of the present disclosure. Forpurposes of the description hereinafter, the terms “upper”, “lower”,“right”, “left”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, andderivatives thereof shall relate to the embodiments of the disclosure,as it is oriented in the drawing figures. The terms “positioned on”means that a first element, such as a first structure, is present on asecond element, such as a second structure, wherein interveningelements, such as an interface structure, e.g. interface layer, may bepresent between the first element and the second element. The term“direct contact” means that a first element, such as a first structure,and a second element, such as a second structure, are connected withoutany intermediary conducting, insulating or semiconductor layers at theinterface of the two elements.

In some embodiments, the methods and structures disclosed herein form aFinFET. A field effect transistor (FET) is a semiconductor device inwhich output current, i.e., source-drain current, is controlled by thevoltage applied to a gate structure to the semiconductor device. A fieldeffect transistor has three terminals, i.e., gate structure, sourceregion and drain region. As used herein, a “fin structure” refers to asemiconductor material, which is employed as the body of a semiconductordevice, in which the gate structure is positioned around the finstructure such that charge flows down the channel of the fin structure AfinFET is a semiconductor device that positions the channel region ofthe semiconductor device in a fin structure. The source and drainregions of the fin structure are the portions of the fin structure thatare on opposing sides of the channel region of the fin structure.

In an embodiment, a finFET semiconductor device has the drain, finchannel, and source device components arranged perpendicular to theplane of the substrate surface, which is referred to as a verticalstack. A vertically stacked finFET can have a longer gate length (i.e.,height) and larger dielectric spacer than a horizontal (i.e., having thedrain, fin channel, and source device components arranged parallel withthe plane of the substrate surface) finFET having comparable contactgate pitch.

In one or more embodiments, a source, drain, and channel of a finFET aregrown epitaxially on a crystalline substrate. In various embodiments, asource or drain is formed epitaxially directly on the substrate and thea fin channel is epitaxially formed directly on the source or drain,where the substrate, drain, fin channel, and source all have the samecrystal structure and orientation.

It has been determined that the current state of the art discloses howto construct vertical field effect transistors (VFETs) in a manner thatincreases fin exposure to erosion during bottom drain spacer recessetch. In some embodiments, the methods and structures that are disclosedherein provide for masking the fin structures, i.e., epitaxialsemiconductor channel region, of the VFET during the spacer recess etch.In some embodiments, this provides a greater degree of freedom formodulating the width of the fin structure (Dfin) than previouslyavailable with prior methods of forming VFET structures. The methods andstructures of the present disclosure are now discussed with more detailreferring to FIGS. 1-15B.

FIG. 1 depicts a substrate 10 that has been etched to provide deviceregions, e.g., first device region 11 and second device region 12, ofsemiconductor material having a dielectric cap 13 that are separated byisolation region 14. In various embodiments, the substrate 10 may be asemiconductor. The substrate 10 may be crystalline. The substrate 10 maybe primarily (i.e., with doping) of a single element, for example,silicon (Si) or germanium, (Ge), or the substrate 10 may be a compound,for example, GaAs, SiC, or SiGe. The substrate 10 may also have multiplematerial layers, for example, a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate(SeOI), a silicon-on-insulator substrate (SOI), germanium-on-insulatorsubstrate (GeOI), or silicon-germanium-on-insulator substrate (SGOI).The substrate 10 may also have other layers forming the substrate,including high-k oxides and/or nitrides. In one or more embodiments, thesubstrate 10 may be a silicon wafer. In an embodiment, the substrate isa single crystal silicon wafer.

To provide the separate device regions, i.e., first device region 11 andsecond device region 12, the substrate may be processed using patternand etch methods, in combination with deposition processes to form theisolation region 14. In one embodiment, a dielectric layer, whichprovides the dielectric cap 13, is deposited atop the substrate 10. Thedielectric layer may be composed of any dielectric material, such as anoxide, nitride or oxynitride material. For example, in some embodiments,the dielectric layer that provides the dielectric cap 13 may be anitride, such as silicon nitride. The dielectric layer may be depositedusing a deposition process, such as chemical vapor deposition, plasmaenhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), metal organic chemical vapordeposition (MOCVD) or other like chemical vapor deposition processes.The thickness of the dielectric layer that provides the dielectric capmay vary, but can range from 5 nm to 100 nm. In some examples, thedielectric layer can have a thickness ranging from 15 nm to 30 nm.

Following deposition of the dielectric layer, the dielectric layer maybe patterned and etched to form the dielectric cap 13. The dielectriccap 13 is positioned over the portions of the substrate 10 that providethe first device region 11 and the second device region 12, in which theportions of the substrate between the dielectric cap 13 may be etched toprovide the trenches that contain the dielectric material that providesthe isolation regions 14. The dielectric layer may be patterned usingphotolithography and etch process, which can begin with forming aphotoresist block mask. A photoresist block mask can be produced byapplying a photoresist layer, exposing the photoresist layer to apattern of radiation, and then developing the pattern into thephotoresist layer utilizing conventional resist developer. The portionsof the dielectric layer that are protected by the photoresist block maskremain to provide the dielectric cap 13, and the portions of thedielectric layer that are not protected by the photoresist block maskare removed by an etch process. The etch process for removing theexposed portions of the dielectric layer in patterning the dielectriccap 13 may be an anisotropic etch, such as reactive ion etch or laseretch, or an isotropic etch, such as a wet chemical etch.

Following formation of the dielectric cap 13, the exposed portions ofthe substrate 5 may be etched, i.e., recessed, to form the trenches thatcontain the dielectric material for the isolation regions 14 and todevice the first device region 11 and the second device region 12. Inone embodiment, the etch process for etching the exposed surfaces of thesubstrate 10 may be an anisotropic etch. An “anisotropic etch process”denotes a material removal process in which the etch rate in thedirection normal to the surface to be etched is greater than in thedirection parallel to the surface to be etched. One form of anisotropicetching that is suitable for etching the substrate 5 is reactive ionetching (RIE). The etch process may be time until the depth of thetrench for providing the isolation regions 14 has been reached.

In one or more embodiments, following recessing the exposed portions ofthe substrate 10, and forming the trenches separating the first deviceregion 11 from the second device region 12, the trenches are filled witha dielectric material to provide the isolation regions 14 separating thefirst and second device regions 11, 12, as depicted in FIG. 1. Fillingthe aforementioned trenches with the dielectric material forms theisolation regions 14. The dielectric material of the isolation regions14 may be any dielectric material including oxides, nitrides oroxynitrides. For example, when the dielectric material of the isolationregion 14 is an oxide, the dielectric may be silicon oxide. Thedielectric material that is deposited in the trenches to form theisolation regions 14 may be silicon oxide (SiO₂). In some embodiments,the dielectric material for the isolation regions 14 may be depositedusing a chemical vapor deposition process, such as plasma enhancedchemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The dielectric material may bedeposited to fill an entirety of the trench. In some embodiments, if thedielectric material for the isolation regions 14 overfills the trenches,a planarization process may be employed to provide that the uppersurfaces of the dielectric material in the isolation regions 14 iscoplanar with the upper surfaces of the dielectric cap 13, as depictedin FIG. 1. The planarization process may be provided by chemicalmechanical planarization. In some embodiments, following formation ofthe isolation regions 14, the islands of semiconductor material thathave not been etched, which provide the first and second device regions11, 12 can have a size in the range of about 100 nm² to about 100,000nm², or in the range of about 1,000 nm² to about 50,000 nm², or in therange of about 5,000 nm² to about 10,000 nm². The areas between theislands 220, may have dimensions in the range of about 500 nm by about500 nm, or in the range of about 250 nm by about 250 nm, or in the rangeof about 100 nm by about 100 nm, or about 60 nm by about 60 nm, wherethe area may be square or rectangular.

FIG. 2 depicts epitaxially forming a semiconductor material (alsoreferred to as first semiconductor material) in each of the deviceregions 11, 12 for at least one of a source region and a drain region.In the embodiments described with respect to the supplied figures, adrain region 15 a, 15 b is formed at this stage of the process, butalternative process flows have been considered in which the sourceregion is formed at this stage of the process.

In some embodiments, forming the drain regions 15 a, 15 b may begin withremoving the dielectric caps 13. The dielectric caps 13 may be removedby an etch that is selective to at least the semiconductor material ofthe first device region 11 and the second device region 12. The term“selective” as used to describe a material removal process denotes thatthe rate of material removal for a first material is greater than therate of removal for at least another material of the structure to whichthe material removal process is being applied. For example, in oneembodiment, a selective etch may include an etch chemistry that removesa first material selectively to a second material by a ratio of 10:1 orgreater, e.g., 100:1 or greater. The etch process for removing thedielectric caps 13 may include a wet chemical etch, plasma etch,reactive ion etch, and combinations thereof. Following the removal ofthe dielectric caps 13, a recess etch may be applied to the exposedsemiconductor surfaces in the first device region and the second deviceregion. The recess etch may recess the semiconductor material by adimension suitable for forming the drain region 15 a, 15 b withoutincreasing the height of the drain region 15 a, 15 b to extend above theupper surface of the isolation regions 14. In some embodiments, therecess etch may be selective to the isolation region 14. In someembodiments, the recess etch is an anisotropic etch, such as reactiveion etch.

Still referring to FIG. 2, following recessing of the semiconductorsubstrate in the first device region 11 and the second device region 12,the drain regions 15 a, 15 b may be formed beginning with an epitaxialgrowth method. “Epitaxial growth and/or epitaxial deposition” means thegrowth of a semiconductor material on a deposition surface of asemiconductor material, in which the semiconductor material being grownhas substantially the same crystalline characteristics as thesemiconductor material of the deposition surface. The term “epitaxialmaterial” denotes a semiconductor material that has substantially thesame crystalline characteristics as the semiconductor material that ithas been formed on, i.e., epitaxially formed on. In some embodiments,when the chemical reactants are controlled, and the system parametersset correctly, the depositing atoms of an epitaxial deposition processarrive at the deposition surface with sufficient energy to move aroundon the surface and orient themselves to the crystal arrangement of theatoms of the deposition surface. An epitaxial material has substantiallythe same crystalline characteristics as the semiconductor material ofthe deposition surface. For example, an epitaxial film deposited on a{100} crystal surface will take on a {100} orientation. The epitaxialdeposition process may be carried out in the deposition chamber of achemical vapor deposition (CVD) apparatus.

In some embodiments, the epitaxial semiconductor material that providesthe drain regions 15 a, 15 b may be composed of silicon. Examples ofsilicon gas source for epitaxial deposition of a silicon containingdrain region 15 a, 15 b may be selected from the group consisting ofhexachlorodisilane (Si₂Cl₆), tetrachlorosilane (SiCl₄), dichlorosilane(Cl₂SiH₂), trichlorosilane (Cl₃SiH), methylsilane ((CH₃)SiH₃),dimethylsilane ((CH₃)₂SiH₂), ethylsilane ((CH₃CH₂)SiH₃), methyldisilane((CH₃)Si₂H₅), dimethyldisilane ((CH₃)₂Si₂H₄), hexamethyldisilane((CH₃)₆Si₂) and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the epitaxialsemiconductor material that provides the drain regions 15 a, 15 b may becomposed of germanium. Examples of germanium gas source for epitaxialdeposition may be selected from the group consisting of germane (GeH₄),digermane (Ge₂H₆), halogermane, dichlorogermane, trichlorogermane,tetrachlorogermane and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, inwhich the drain regions 15 a, 15 b are composed of silicon germanium,the silicon sources for epitaxial deposition may be selected from thegroup consisting of silane, disilane, trisilane, tetrasilane,hexachlorodisilane, tetrachlorosilane, dichlorosilane, trichlorosilane,methylsilane, dimethylsilane, ethylsilane, methyldisilane,dimethyldisilane, hexamethyldisilane and combinations thereof, and thegermanium gas sources may be selected from the group consisting ofgermane, digermane, halogermane, dichlorogermane, trichlorogermane,tetrachlorogermane and combinations thereof.

The epitaxial semiconductor material that provides the drain regions 15a, 15 b may be doped to a n-type or p-type conductivity. In theembodiment that is depicted in FIG. 2, the first drain region 15 a thatis depicted in the first device region 11 may be doped to an n-typeconductivity, and the second drain region 15 b that is depicted in thesecond device region 12 may be doped to a p-type conductivity. As usedherein, “p-type” refers to the addition of impurities to an intrinsicsemiconductor that creates deficiencies of valence electrons. In a typeIV semiconductor material, such as silicon and germanium, examples ofp-type dopants, i.e., impurities, include but are not limited to: boron,aluminum, gallium and indium. As used herein, “n-type” refers to theaddition of impurities that contributes free electrons to an intrinsicsemiconductor. In a type IV semiconductor material, such as silicon orgermanium, examples of n-type dopants, i.e., impurities, include but arenot limited to antimony, arsenic and phosphorous.

The dopant for the drain regions 15 a, 15 b may be introduced in-situduring the formation of the base material, i.e., epitaxial semiconductormaterial, of the source and drain regions 15 a, 15 b. The n-type gasdopant source for in-situ doping may include arsine (AsH₃), phosphine(PH₃) and alkylphosphines, such as with the empirical formulaR_(X)PH_((3-x)), where R=methyl, ethyl, propyl or butyl and x=1, 2 or 3.Alkylphosphines include trimethylphosphine ((CH₃)₃P), dimethylphosphine((CH₃)₂PH), triethylphosphine ((CH₃CH₂)₃P) and diethylphosphine((CH₃CH₂)₂PH). The p-type gas dopant source for in-situ doping mayinclude diborane. In other embodiments, the drain region 15 a, 15 b mayalso be formed using gas phase doping or ion implantation.

In various embodiments, drain regions 15 a, 15 b may have a thickness inthe range of about 10 nm to about 250 nm, or about 20 nm to about 150nm, or about 50 nm to about 100 nm. The dopant concentration within <5nm of the drain upper surface may be essentially free (i.e.,approximately zero concentration) to enable channel epitaxial growth onthe exposed surface of the drain 400.

FIG. 3A depicts forming a low-k spacer material 16 (for the firstspacer, i.e., first low-k spacer) atop the structure depicted in FIG. 2,e.g., on at least the semiconductor material of the drain regions 15 a,15 b, and forming openings through the low-k spacer material to providefin structure openings 17 to the semiconductor material of the drainregions 15 a, 15 b. The width of the fin structure openings 17 typicallydictates the width of the epitaxial semiconductor channel material forthe device. As used herein, the term “low-k” denotes a dielectricmaterial having a dielectric constant equal to the dielectric constantof silicon oxide (SiO₂) or less. The low-k dielectric spacers 16typically have a dielectric constant that is less than 7.0, e.g., 5.5.In one embodiment, the low-k dielectric material has a dielectricconstant ranging from 3.9 to 6. In another embodiment, the low-kdielectric material has a dielectric constant less than 3.9. Examples ofmaterials suitable for the low-k dielectric material include diamondlike carbon (DLC), organosilicate glass (OSG), fluorine doped silicondioxide, carbon doped silicon dioxide, carbon doped silicon nitride,porous silicon dioxide, porous carbon doped silicon dioxide, boron dopedsilicon nitride, spin-on organic polymeric dielectrics (e.g., SILK™),spin-on silicone based polymeric dielectric (e.g., hydrogensilsesquioxane (HSQ) and methylsilsesquioxane (MSQ), and combinationsthereof. The low-k spacer material may be deposited using at least oneof spin on deposition, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma-assistedCVD, evaporation and chemical solution deposition.

Still referring to FIG. 3A, following the deposition of the low-k spacermaterial 16, the layer of low-k spacer material 16 may be patterned andetched to form the fin structure openings 17. Specifically, a pattern isproduced by applying a photoresist to the surface to be etched; exposingthe photoresist to a pattern of radiation; and then developing thepattern into the photoresist utilizing conventional resist developer.Once the patterning of the photoresist is completed, the sectionscovered by the photoresist are protected while the exposed regions areremoved using a selective etching process that removes the unprotectedregions. Following formation of the patterned photoresist (also referredto as a photoresist etch mask), the exposed portions of the low-k spacermaterial may be etched. The etch process may be anisotropic, andtypically is selective to the semiconductor material of the drainregions 15 a, 15 b. For example, the etch process for forming the finstructure openings 17 is a reactive ion etch process.

As noted above, in some embodiments, the width W1 of the fin structureopenings 17 dictates the width of the later formed epitaxially formedsemiconductor channel material for the device. In one embodiment, thewidth W1 of the fin structure openings 17 may be less than 20 nm. Insome other embodiments, the width W1 of the fin structure openings 17may range from 3 nm to 8 nm. In some embodiments, the width W1 of thefin structure openings 17 in the first device region 11 of the substrateis equal to the width W1 of the fin structure openings in the secondregion 12 of the substrate, as depicted in FIG. 3A.

Referring to FIG. 3B, in some embodiments, the width W1 of the viaopenings 17 in the first region 11 of the substrate may be differentfrom the width W2 of the via openings 17 in the second region 12 of thesubstrate. This can be provided by forming a block mask 18 over oneregion the substrate, e.g., first device region 11, and leaving a secondregion, e.g., second device region 12, of the substrate exposed; andthen applying a lateral etch to the low-k dielectric spacer material 16in the exposed region of the substrate. In some embodiments, the blockmask 18 may be composed of photoresist that is formed using deposition,photolithography and development processes. More specifically, a layerof photoresist is deposited atop the entire structure. The photoresistlayer may then selectively exposed to light and developed to pattern ablock mask 18 protecting at least one first region, e.g., first deviceregion 11, of the substrate and exposing at least one second region,e.g., second device region 12, of the substrate. The exposed regions ofthe device are then processed, while the regions underlying the blockmask are protected. Following processing of the first region, the blockmask 18 is removed by conventional stripping techniques. The width W2 ofthe via openings 17 in the second device region 12 may be increasedusing a lateral etch, such as a plasma etch, or wet chemical etch. It isnoted that the process steps depicted in FIG. 3B are optional and may beomitted. The lateral etch step for increasing the width W2 of the finopenings 17 in the second device region 12 may range from 0.5 nm to 10nm. The lateral etch step depicted in FIG. 3B is one example of how tomodulate the width of the fin structures, i.e., width of epitaxialsemiconductor channel material for the device.

Although three fin openings 17 are depicted in each of the first andsecond device regions 11, 12, the present disclosure is not limited toonly this example. Any number of fin openings 17 may be present in eachof the first and second device regions 11, 12. In some embodiments, thepitch P1 separating adjacent fin openings 17 may range from 10 nm to 50nm. In yet another embodiment, the pitch separating adjacent finopenings 17 may range from 20 nm to 30 nm.

FIG. 4 depicts forming a conformally deposited inner spacer liner 19 onat least the sidewalls of the fin structure openings. Although FIG. 4depicts forming the inner spacer liner 19 on the structure depicted inFIG. 3A, this step of the process is equally applicable to the structuredepicted in FIG. 3B, as well as the remaining process flow being equallyapplicable to each of the embodiments depicted in FIGS. 3A and 3B. Thematerial of the conformally deposited inner spacer liner 19 is selectedso that the material of the low-k spacer material 16 can be etchedwithout removing the inner spacer liner 19, which will protect thesubsequently formed fin structures, i.e., epitaxially formedsemiconductor channel material, of the VFET. Any dielectric material canbe selected for the inner spacer liner 19, so long as the materialemployed provides the above described etch selectivity. In someembodiments, when the low-k spacer material 16 is a low-k nitride, theinner spacer liner 19 is an oxide, such as silicon oxide. In otherembodiments, the inner spacer liner 19 may be composed of amorphouscarbon, as well as metal oxides and metal nitrides, e.g., hafnium oxideand titanium nitride.

The term “conformal layer” denotes a layer having a thickness that doesnot deviate from greater than or less than 30% of an average value forthe thickness of the layer. To provide the conformal layer, the innerspacer liner 19 may be deposited using atomic layer deposition (ALD). Inother embodiments, the inner spacer liner 19 may be deposited usingchemical vapor deposition methods, such as plasma enhanced chemicalvapor deposition (PECVD). In some embodiments, the thickness of theinner spacer liner 18 may range from 0.5 nm to 20 nm. In otherembodiments, the thickness of the inner spacer liner 18 may range from 1nm to 5 nm. Referring to FIG. 4, the conformally deposited inner spacerliner 19 is depicted as being formed on the upper surfaces of the low-kspacer material 16, the sidewall surfaces of the low-k spacer material16 that provide the fin openings 17, and the exposed upper surfaces ofthe drain regions 15 a, 15 b that are present at the base of the finopenings 17.

FIG. 5 depicts etching the conformally deposited inner spacer liner 19to remove the horizontally orientated portions and expose a portion ofthe first semiconductor material, i.e., semiconductor material of thedrain regions 15 a, 15 b, at a base of the fin structure openings 17. Aremaining vertical portion is present on sidewalls of the fin structureopenings 17, which provides an inner liner spacer 19 a. The etch processfor removing the horizontally orientated portions of the conformallydeposited spacer liner 19 may be an anisotropic etch process, such asreactive ion etch (RIE). It is noted that the exposed portion of thedrain regions 15 a, 15 b at the base of the fin structure openings 17provides an epitaxial growth surface S1 for depositing epitaxialmaterial, as further described below.

FIGS. 6A and 6B depict some optional steps to the process flow inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. It is notedthat these embodiments illustrate some examples of modulating the widthof the fin structures (Dfin), i.e., the width of epitaxial semiconductorchannel material for the device. FIG. 6A depicts one embodiment of thepresent disclosure, in which the deposited inner spacer liner material19 is removed from one region of the substrate, e.g., is removed fromthe second device region 11, while a remainder of the spacer linermaterial 19 is protected from being removed from a second region 12 ofthe substrate. In this embodiment, a block mask is formed over the firstdevice region 11 of the substrate. The block mask employed may besimilar to the block mask 18 that is described above with reference toFIG. 3B. Following the formation of the block mask 18 protecting thefirst device region 11, the entirety of the inner spacer liner material19 is removed from the second device region 12 of the substrate. Theinner spacer liner 19 may be removed from the second device region 12with a selective etch process. By removing the inner spacer linematerial 19 from the second device region 12, the width of the finstructure openings 17 in the second device region 12 is greater than thewidth of the fin structure openings 17 in the first device region 11that include the remaining portion of the spacer liner material 19.Therefore, the subsequently epitaxially formed fin structure, i.e.,epitaxial semiconductor channel material for the device, that is formedin the second device region 12 will have a greater width than thesubsequently epitaxially formed fin structure, i.e., epitaxialsemiconductor channel material for the device, that is formed in thefirst device region 11.

FIG. 6B depicts another embodiment of the present disclosure, in whichthe deposited inner spacer liner material 19 is partially removed fromone the second device region 12 of the substrate, while a remainder ofthe spacer liner material 19 is protected from being removed from afirst device region 11 of the substrate. In this embodiment, a blockmask is formed over the first device region 11 of the substrate. Theblock mask employed may be similar to the block mask 18 that isdescribed above with reference to FIG. 3B. Following the formation ofthe block mask 18 protecting the first device region 11, the innerspacer liner material 19 in the second device region 12 of the substrateis recessed, i.e., an upper portion of the inner spacer liner material19 is removed, while the lower portion of the inner spacer linermaterial 19 remains. The inner spacer liner 19 may be recessed with ananisotropic etch, such as reactive ion etch. By removing the upperportion of the inner spacer liner material 19 from the second deviceregion 12, the upper width of the fin structure openings 17 in thesecond device region 12 is greater than the lower width of the finstructure openings 17 in the second device region 12. Therefore, thesubsequently epitaxially formed fin structure, i.e., epitaxialsemiconductor channel material for the device, that is formed in thesecond device region 12 will have a greater width in its upper portionthan its lower portion.

FIG. 7 depicting epitaxially forming channel semiconductor material 20,i.e., epitaxial fin structures, on the surface of the drain regions 15a, 15 b. Although FIG. 7 depicts forming the channel semiconductormaterial 20 on the embodiment that is depicted in FIG. 5, the followingdescription of forming the channel semiconductor material is equallyapplicable to the embodiments that are illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B.The channel semiconductor material 20 is typically composed of a type IVsemiconductor. By “type IV semiconductor” it is meant that thesemiconductor material includes at least one element from Group IVA(i.e., Group 14) of the Periodic Table of Elements. Examples of type IVsemiconductor materials that are suitable for the fin structure includesilicon (Si), germanium (Ge), silicon germanium (SiGe), silicon dopedwith carbon (Si:C), silicon germanium doped with carbon (SiGe:C) and acombination thereof. The channel semiconductor material may also be acompound semiconductor material. A compound semiconductor may be a III-Vsemiconductor material or a type II/VI semiconductor material. By “III-Vsemiconductor material” it is meant that the semiconductor materialincludes at least one element from Group IIIA (i.e., Group 13) of thePeriodic Table of Elements and at least one element from Group VA (i.e.,Group 15) of the Periodic Table of Elements. Examples of compoundsemiconductor materials that are suitable for the fin structures, i.e.,epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material, include at least oneof gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium phosphide (GaP), indium antimonide(InSb), indium arsenic (InAs), indium nitride (InN), indium phosphide(InP), aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs), indium gallium phosphide(InGaP), aluminum indium arsenic (AlInAs), aluminum indium antimonide(AlInSb), gallium arsenide nitride (GaAsN), and combinations thereof.The channel semiconductor material 20 is typically intrinsic. It isnoted that a different material may be used for the drain region 15 a inthe first device region 11 than the material used for the drain region15 b in the second device region 12. Additionally, different materialsmay be used for the drain regions 15 a, 15 b and the epitaxially formedsemiconductor channel material 20.

The epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20 typically fillsthe openings defined by the space between the opposing sidewalls of theinner spacer liner material 19 a, as depicted in FIG. 5. The epitaxiallyformed semiconductor channel material 20 may also fill the openings tothe exposed surface of the drain regions 15 a, 15 that provide theepitaxial deposition surface that is depicted in FIGS. 6A and 6B. Insome embodiments, the method may further include a planarizationprocess, such as chemical mechanical planarization (CMP), that isapplied to the upper surfaces of the epitaxially formed semiconductorchannel material 20 so that the upper surfaces of the epitaxially formedsemiconductor channel material 20 is coplanar with the upper surfaces ofthe low-k dielectric material 16.

In some embodiments, the epitaxially formed semiconductor channelmaterial 20 may have a height ranging from 5 nm to 200 nm. In anotherembodiment, the epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20 hasa height ranging from 10 nm to 100 nm. In one embodiment, theepitaxially formed channel semiconductor material 20 has a width of lessthan 20 nm. In another embodiment, the epitaxially formed semiconductorchannel material 20 has a width ranging from 3 nm to 8 nm. The pitch,i.e., center to center, dimension separating the adjacent epitaxiallyformed semiconductor channel material 20 in each of the first and seconddevice regions 11, 12 may range from 10 nm to 50 nm.

FIG. 8 depicting recessing the low-k spacer material 16 with an etchthat is selective to the inner spacer liner material 19 to form thefirst low-k spacer 16 a (also referred to as first spacer 16). Becausethe etch process for recessing the low-k spacer material 16 is selectiveto the inner spacer liner material 19, the epitaxially formed channelsemiconductor material 20 is protected from the etch chemistry that isbeing applied to the low-k spacer material 16. In some embodiments, theetch process for recessing the low-k spacer material 16 is ananisotropic etch process, such as reactive ion etch, plasma etching, orlaser etching. In other embodiments, the etch process for recessing thelow-k spacer material 16 is an isotropic etch, such as a wet chemicaletch.

As depicted in the embodiment that is illustrated in FIG. 8, the etchprocess for recessing the low-k spacer material 16 may continue untilthe only remaining portion of the low-k spacer material 16 fills thespace between the upper surface of the drain region 15 a, 15 b and theupper surface of the isolation region 14. The remaining portion of thelow-k spacer material 16 that is present in the aforementioned space mayhereafter be referred to as the first low-k spacer 16. The etch processfor forming the first low-k spacer 16 a may expose the upper surface ofthe isolation region 14. In some embodiments, the etch process forrecessing the low-k spacer material 16 is timed. In other embodiments,end point detection may be employed for determining the time toterminate the etch process. The first low-k spacer 16 a may have heightranging from 3 nm to 20 nm.

Following recessing the low-k spacer material to provide the first low-kspacer 16 a, the inner spacer liner material may be etched to expose thechannel portion of the epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material20 that the gate structure is to be formed on. In one embodiment, only aportion of the inner spacer liner material 19 a is etched selectively tothe epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20, wherein aremaining portion of the inner spacer liner material 19 a is presentbetween the first low-k spacer 16 and the epitaxially formedsemiconductor channel material 20, as depicted in FIG. 9A. The remainingportion of the inner spacer liner material 19 a typically has an uppersurface that is coplanar with the upper surface of the isolation regions14, as well as the upper surface of the first low-k spacer 16. In someembodiments, the inner spacer liner material 19 a may be removed in itsentirety leaving a gap between the first low-k spacer 16 and theepitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20, as depicted inFIG. 9B. The inner spacer liner material 19 a may be etched using ananisotropic etch, such as reactive ion etch (RIE), or an isotropic etch,such as a wet chemical etch. The following process sequence employs thestructure depicted in FIG. 9A, in which a remaining portion of the innerspacer liner material 19 a is present between the first low-k spacer 16and the epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20. Thefollowing process sequence may be equally applied to the structureprovided by the embodiments depicted in FIG. 9B, in which when the laterdescribed gate dielectric/work function metal stack 22 and/or gateconductor 23 are formed, an air gap is enclosed between the first low-kspacer 16 and the epitaxially formed semiconductor material 20. Inanother embodiment, the process sequence applied to the embodiment inFIG. 9B can provide that the gap left is filled with high-k dielectricfrom the subsequently deposited gate stack. This can be leveraged toincrease gate fringing field coupling to the under-spacer component ofthe bottom source/drain junction.

FIG. 10 depicts forming a gate dielectric and work function metal,illustrated as gate dielectric/work function metal stack 22, on thechannel portion of the epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material20 of the structure depicted in FIG. 9A. It is noted that the processstep depicted in FIG. 10 is equally applicable to the embodiment that isdepicted in FIG. 9B.

The gate dielectric of the gate dielectric/work function metal stack 22is first formed on the channel portion of the epitaxially formedsemiconductor channel material 20. Typically, the gate dielectric isformed using a conformal deposition process. The gate dielectric may becomposed of any dielectric material, such as an oxide, nitride oroxynitride material. In some embodiments, the gate dielectric is ahigh-k dielectric material. As used herein, “high-k” denotes adielectric material featuring a dielectric constant (k) higher than thedielectric constant of SiO₂ at room temperature. For example, the leastone gate dielectric layer may be composed of a high-k oxide such as, forexample, HfO₂, ZrO₂, Al₂O₃, TiO₂, La₂O₃, SrTiO₃, LaAlO₃, Y₂O₃ andmixtures thereof. Other examples of high-k dielectric materials for theat least one gate dielectric include hafnium silicate, hafnium siliconoxynitride or combinations thereof.

To provide the conformal layer, the gate dielectric may be depositedusing atomic layer deposition (ALD). In other embodiments, the gatedielectric may be deposited using chemical vapor deposition methods,such as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). In oneembodiment, the thickness of the at least one gate dielectric layer isgreater than 0.8 nm. More typically, the at least one gate dielectriclayer has a thickness ranging from about 1.0 nm to about 6.0 nm.

In some embodiments, conformal deposition of the gate dielectricproduces a vertical portion on the channel portion of the epitaxiallyformed semiconductor channel material 20, and a horizontal portion thatis present on the upper surfaces of the remaining portion of the innerspacer liner 19 a (when present), the first low-k spacer 16 b, and theisolation regions 14. The horizontal portions may be removed by an etchprocess, such as reactive ion etch.

Following formation of the gate dielectric, the work function metal maybe deposited. The work function metal may be selected to provide ap-type work function metal layer and an n-type work function metallayer. As used herein, a “p-type work function metal layer” is a metallayer that effectuates a p-type threshold voltage shift. In oneembodiment, the work function of the p-type work function metal layerranges from 4.9 eV to 5.2 eV. As used herein, “threshold voltage” is thelowest attainable gate voltage that will turn on a semiconductor device,e.g., transistor, by making the channel of the device conductive. Theterm “p-type threshold voltage shift” as used herein means a shift inthe Fermi energy of a p-type semiconductor device towards a valence bandof silicon in the silicon containing substrate of the p-typesemiconductor device. A “valence band” is the highest range of electronenergies where electrons are normally present at absolute zero. In oneembodiment, the p-type work function metal layer may be composed oftitanium and their nitrided/carbide. In one embodiment, the p-type workfunction metal layer is composed of titanium nitride (TiN). The p-typework function metal layer may also be composed of TiAlN, Ru, Pt, Mo, Coand alloys and combinations thereof.

As used herein, an “n-type work function metal layer” is a metal layerthat effectuates an n-type threshold voltage shift. “N-type thresholdvoltage shift” as used herein means a shift in the Fermi energy of ann-type semiconductor device towards a conduction band of silicon in asilicon-containing substrate of the n-type semiconductor device. The“conduction band” is the lowest lying electron energy band of the dopedmaterial that is not completely filled with electrons. In oneembodiment, the work function of the n-type work function metal layerranges from 4.1 eV to 4.3 eV. In one embodiment, the n-type workfunction metal layer is composed of at least one of TiAl, TaN, TiN, HfN,HfSi, or combinations thereof.

The n-type and p-type work function metal layers may be selectivelydeposited into the first device region 11 and the second device region12 using block masks. For example, an n-type work function metal layermay be formed in the first device region 11 for n-type semiconductordevices, and a p-type work function metal layer may be formed in thesecond device region 12 for p-type semiconductor devices. The n-type andp-type work function metal layers may be deposited using a conformaldeposition process. Similar to the gate dielectric, depositing then-type and p-type work function metal layers may provide verticalportions on the gate dielectric that is present on the channel portionof the epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20, and ahorizontal portion that is overlying the upper surfaces of the remainingportion of the inner spacer liner 19 a (when present), the first low-kspacer 16 b, and the isolation regions 14. The horizontal portions maybe removed by an etch process, such as reactive ion etch.

In various embodiments, the gate dielectric/work function metal stack 22may have a thickness, i.e., width measured from the sidewall of theepitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20, of less than about15 nm. In another embodiment, the gate dielectric/work function metalstack 22 may have a thickness, i.e., width measured from the sidewall ofthe epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20, in the rangeof about 7 nm to about 10 nm, or a thickness of about 7 nm.

Although not depicted in FIG. 10, in some embodiments, thehigh-k/metal-gate (HKMG) stack 22 is not formed on only the sidewalls ofthe fins, but may cover the top of the fins, i.e., epitaxially formedsemiconductor channel material 20. As the process sequence continuesfrom FIG. 10 to FIG. 11, the low-k spacer material fills the remaininggaps and the structure is planarized to the upper surface of the fins,at which point the HKMG stack 22 is removed from the upper surfaces ofthe fins, and only covers the sidewalls.

FIG. 11 depicts forming a gate conductor 23 on the gate dielectric/workfunction metal stack 22. The gate conductor 23 may be blanket depositedfilling the space between the adjacent fin structures, i.e., the spacebetween the adjacent combinations of epitaxially formed semiconductorchannel material 20 and the gate dielectric/metal work function stack22. In various embodiments, the gate conductor 23 is a metal, where themetal may be tungsten (W), tungsten nitride (WN) or combinationsthereof. In one or more embodiments, the gate conductor 23 is tungsten(W). The gate conductor 23 may be deposited by CVD or PE-CVD.Planarization including chemical mechanical planarization may beemployed so that the upper surface of the gate conductor 23 is coplanarwith the upper surface of the epitaxially formed semiconductor channelmaterial 20. The planarization process may expose a surface of theepitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20 that can providethe epitaxial growth surface for the source regions of the device.

FIG. 12 is a side cross-sectional view depicting patterning the gateconductor 23, and forming a top spacer, i.e., a second spacer, e.g.,second low-k spacer. Patterning the gate conductor 23 may begin withrecessing the gate conductor 23 to a depth below the upper surface ofthe epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20. This etch stepmay be performed using reactive ion etch. Thereafter, a disposablespacer (not shown) is formed on the exposed ends of the epitaxiallyformed semiconductor channel material 20. The disposable spacer materialmay be a thin conformal oxide or nitride layer (e.g., SiO₂, SiN). Invarious embodiments, the disposable spacer may be formed by an ALD orPE-ALD process. The thickness of the disposable spacer material at leaston the sidewalls of the epitaxially formed semiconductor channelmaterial 20 can be sufficient to extend past the thickness of the gatedielectric/metal work function stack 22 to define the thickness of thegate conductor 23.

In one or more embodiments, the portion of the material layer for thegate conductor 23 that is exposed between the disposable spacer may beremoved, for example by RIE, to form define the final dimension for thegate conductor 23 of the gate structures. In some embodiments, the gateconductor 23 may have a thickness in the range of about 2 nm to about 5nm, or in the range of about 2 nm to about 3 nm. Following patterning ofthe gate conductor, the disposable spacer may be removed to expose thedistal end portion of the epitaxially formed semiconductor material 20,where the disposable spacer may be removed by etching. The gateconductor 23 and the gate dielectric/metal work function stack 22 form agate structure with the channel portion of the epitaxially formedsemiconductor channel material 20 for control of current through theepitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20, where the gatestructure may be on four sides and surround the epitaxially formedsemiconductor channel material 20.

In various embodiments, a second low-k dielectric material 24 may beformed in the spaces between the gate conductors 23. The second low-kdielectric material 24 may be subsequently processed to provide thesecond spacer, e.g., second low-k spacer. In various embodiments, thesecond low-k dielectric material 24 may be the same as the first low-kdielectric material 16 described above with reference to FIGS. 3A and3B. Therefore, the above description of the first low-k dielectricmaterial 16 is suitable for the second low-k dielectric material 24. Thesecond low-k dielectric material 24 may be an oxide. The second low-kdielectric material 24 may be deposited using a chemical vapordeposition process, such as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition(PECVD). In other examples, the second low-k dielectric material 24 maybe deposited using chemical solution deposition or spin on deposition.In some embodiments, the height of the second low-k dielectric material24 may be reduced to expose a portion of the distal end of theepitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20. The height of thesecond low-k dielectric material 24 may be reduced by etching, such asreactive ion etching (RIE).

An inter-layer dielectric (ILD) material layer 26 may be formed over thedistal end of the epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20to provide electrical insulation between the epitaxially formedsemiconductor channel material 20. In various embodiments, theinter-layer dielectric is SiO₂. In various other embodiments, theinter-layer dielectric is Si₃N₄. A portion of the inter-layer dielectric(ILD) material layer 75 may be removed by chemical-mechanical polishingto provide a flat, uniform surface, where the top surface of theinter-layer dielectric (ILD) material layer 26 may be coplanar with thetops of the epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20. Invarious embodiments, the ILD material is different from the material ofthe second low-k dielectric material 24.

FIG. 13 depicts forming an etch mask 27 over the second region 12 of thesubstrate, and forming a first conductivity type of a second of a sourceregion and a drain region in connection with the channel semiconductormaterial in the first region 11 of the substrate. It is noted that inthe embodiments described above with respect to FIGS. 1-12, the drainregions 15, 15 b have been formed prior to this stage of the processflow. Therefore, in these embodiments, first conductivity type sourceregions 25 a are formed at this step of the process flow. Embodimentshave been contemplated in which the order of the formation of the sourceand drain regions in the first and second device regions 11, 12 may beswitched so that at least one source regions is formed before at leastone of the drain regions.

The etch mask 27 depicted in FIG. 13 is similar to the block mask 18that has been described above with reference to FIG. 3B. Therefore, thedescription of the block mask 18 depicted in FIG. 3B is suitable todescribe the etch mask 27 that is depicted in FIG. 13. Followingformation of the etch mask 27 overlying the second device region 12, theexposed tops of the epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20may be etched to reduce the height of the fin channels. The etch processfor recessing the epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20may be reactive ion etch.

A source material may be formed in the openings produced by recessingthe epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20 in the firstdevice region 11 to form first source regions 25 a. In variousembodiments, the first source regions 25 a may be epitaxially grown onthe top surface of the epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material20, where the first source regions 25 a may have the same crystalstructure and orientation as the underlying epitaxially formedsemiconductor channel material 20. The first source regions 25 a may becomposed of Si, SiGe, SiC, or SiP. The first source regions 25 a aredoped with an n-type or p-type dopant. For example, in some embodiments,in which the first device region 11 includes n-type conductivity device,the first source regions 25 a may be doped to an n-type conductivity.

Growth of the source material for the first source regions 25 a may bedone as a single layer or as multiple deposited layers having varyingdopant levels. In various embodiments, the first source region 25 a havethe same doping as the first drain region 15 a. The first source region15 a on each of the fin channels 750 associated with the first drain 400have the same crystal orientation as the first bottom surface 190 toprovide predetermined electrical properties (e.g., carrier mobility). Itis noted that the epitaxial deposition process for forming the firstsource regions 25 a is similar to the epitaxial deposition process forforming the above described drain regions 15 a, 15 b. Therefore, theabove description of epitaxial deposition for forming the drain regions15 a, 15 b can be suitable for describing the epitaxial depositionprocess for forming the first source regions 25 a.

Following formation of the first source regions 25 a in the first deviceregion 11, the etch mask 27 that is present over the second deviceregion 12 is removed. The etch mask 27 may be removed using selectiveetching or chemical stripping. Following removal of the etch mask 27from the second device region 12, another etch mask 28 over the firstdevice region 11, as depicted in FIG. 14. The etch mask 28 that isformed over the first device region 11 is similar in composition andmethod of formation as the etch mask 27 depicted in FIG. 13.

In a following process step, the epitaxially formed semiconductorchannel material 20 that is present in the second device region 12 maybe recessed using an etch that is selective to the etch mask 28 and theinterlevel dielectric layer 26. The exposed tops of the epitaxiallyformed semiconductor channel material 20 that are present in the seconddevice region 12 may be etched to reduce the height of the fin channels,as depicted in FIG. 14.

Referring to FIG. 15A, a source material may be formed in the openingsthat are produced by recessing the epitaxially formed semiconductorchannel material 20 in the second device region 12 to form second sourceregions 25 b. In various embodiments, the second source regions 25 b maybe epitaxially grown on the top surface of the epitaxially formedsemiconductor channel material 20, i.e., fin channel(s), where secondsources regions 25 b may have the same crystal structure and orientationas the underlying epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20.The second source region 25 b may be Si, SiGe, SiC, or SiP, where thesecond source may be doped with boron, phosphorus, or carbon.

The second source regions 25 b may be doped with an n-type or p-typedopant. For example, in some embodiments, in which the second deviceregion 12 includes at least one p-type conductivity device, the secondsource regions 25 a may be doped to a p-type conductivity. Growth of thesource material may be done as a single layer or as multiple depositedlayers having varying dopant levels. In one or more embodiments, thematerial of the second source regions 25 b is different than thematerial of the first source regions 25 a. It is noted that theepitaxial deposition process for forming the second source regions 25 bis similar to the epitaxial deposition process for forming the abovedescribed drain regions 15 a, 15 b. Therefore, the above description ofepitaxial deposition for forming the drain regions 15 a, 15 b can besuitable for describing the epitaxial deposition process for forming thesecond source regions 25 b.

Referring to FIG. 15A, in one embodiment, a vertical semiconductordevice 100 a is provided that includes a first semiconductor materialfor a first of a source region and a drain region and an epitaxial finchannel 20 atop a first channel interface portion of a surface the firstsemiconductor material. In the embodiment that is depicted in FIG. 15A,a plurality of first drain regions 15 a having a first conductivity,e.g., n-type conductivity, is present in the first device region 11, anda plurality of second drain regions 15 b having a second conductivitytype, e.g., p-type conductivity, is present in the second device region12. In this example, a complimentary pair of FETs have been formed inthe first device and second device regions 11, 12. Gates for eachcomplimentary pair of FETs may be electrically coupled. CorrespondingfinFETs may be coupled to form a complementary metal oxide semiconductor(CMOS) transistor.

Referring to FIG. 15A a first spacer 16 a, 21 contacts the surface ofthe first semiconductor material, wherein the first spacer comprises alow-k portion 16 a and an inner spacer portion 21, the inner spacerpresent between the low-k portion 16 a and the epitaxial fin channel,i.e., epitaxially formed semiconductor channel material 20. A gatestructure 22, 23 is present atop the first spacer 16 a, 21 and is indirect contact with the epitaxial fin channel, i.e., epitaxially formedsemiconductor channel material 20. A second spacer 24 is formed atop thegate structure 22, 23, wherein a portion the epitaxial fin channel isexposed by the second spacer 24 to provide a second channel interfaceportion. A second semiconductor material for a second of the sourceregion and the drain region is formed atop the second spacer and is incontact with the second channel interface portion of the epitaxial finchannel. In the embodiment that is depicted in FIG. 15A, a plurality offirst source regions 25 a having a first conductivity, e.g., n-typeconductivity, are present in the first device region 11, and a pluralityof second source regions 25 b having a second conductivity type, e.g.,p-type conductivity, is present in the second device region 12. Theembodiment depicted in FIG. 15A includes a remaining portion of theinner spacer material 21, as described by the process flow consistentwith the embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 9A.

In another embodiment, a vertical FET semiconductor device 100B isprovided that includes an air gap 29 that is enclosed between a firstlow-k spacer 16 a and the epitaxially formed semiconductor material 20,i.e., fin structure, that provides the channel region of the device. Theair gap 29 is formed by removing the entirety of the low-k dielectricmaterial 16, as described above with reference to FIG. 9B, to produce avoid between the remaining portion of the first low-k spacer 16 a andthe epitaxially formed semiconductor material 20, and enclosing the voidby forming the gate structure 22, 23 and depositing the material for thesecond spacer 24. The remainder of the features having reference numbersin the structure depicted in FIG. 9B have been described above. In yetanother embodiment, the air gap space is filled with high-k materialfrom the gate stack formation.

Having described preferred embodiments of vertical transistorfabrication and devices (which are intended to be illustrative and notlimiting), it is noted that modifications and variations can be made bypersons skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. It istherefore to be understood that changes may be made in the particularembodiments disclosed which are within the scope of the invention asoutlined by the appended claims. Having thus described aspects of theinvention, with the details and particularity required by the patentlaws, what is claimed and desired protected by Letters Patent is setforth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of fabricating a vertical field effecttransistor comprising: forming openings through a spacer material toprovide fin structure openings to a first semiconductor material for afirst of one of a source region and a drain region; forming an innerspacer liner on sidewalls of the fin structure openings, wherein asurface of the first semiconductor material remains exposed; epitaxiallyforming a channel semiconductor material on a surface of the firstsemiconductor material filling at least a portion of the fin structureopenings; recessing the spacer material with an etch that is selectiveto the inner spacer liner to form a first spacer; removing the innerspacer liner selectively to the channel semiconductor material; forminga gate structure on the channel semiconductor material; and forming asecond semiconductor material for a second of one of the source regionand the drain region in contact with the channel semiconductor material.2. The method of claim 1 further comprising epitaxially forming thefirst semiconductor material on a semiconductor substrate, the firstsemiconductor material being doped with an n-type or p-type dopant. 3.The method of claim 2 further comprising: depositing the spacer materialon the first semiconductor material; forming an etch mask on the spacermaterial; and etching the spacer material selectively to the firstsemiconductor material to provide the openings.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein forming the inner spacer liner comprises conformaldeposition.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the epitaxially formingthe channel semiconductor material on a surface of the firstsemiconductor material filling at least a portion of the fin structureopenings comprises epitaxially depositing a silicon containingsemiconductor material that is intrinsic.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein removing the inner spacer liner selectively to the channelsemiconductor material removes an entirety of the inner spacer liner,and an air gap is enclosed between the spacer and the channelsemiconductor material.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the gatestructure comprises a gate dielectric and at least one of an n-type workfunction metal or a p-type work function metal.
 8. The method of claim 1further comprising forming a second spacer on the gate structure beforeforming the second semiconductor material.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein the second semiconductor material is formed using an epitaxialdeposition process.
 10. A method of fabricating a vertical field effecttransistor comprising: forming openings through a spacer material toprovide fin structure openings to a first semiconductor material for afirst one of a source region and a drain region; forming an inner spacerliner on sidewalls of the fin structure openings, wherein a surface ofthe first semiconductor material remains exposed; epitaxially formingchannel semiconductor material on the surface of the first semiconductormaterial; recessing the first spacer material with an etch that isselective to the inner spacer liner to form a first portion of the firstspacer; removing the inner spacer liner selectively to the channelsemiconductor material, wherein a portion of the inner spacer linerremains to provide a second portion of the first spacer that is presentbetween the first portion of the first spacer and the channelsemiconductor material; forming a gate structure on the channelsemiconductor material; and forming a second semiconductor material fora second one of the source region and the drain region in contact withthe channel semiconductor material.
 11. The method of claim 10 furthercomprising epitaxially forming the first semiconductor material on asemiconductor substrate, the first semiconductor material being dopedwith an n-type or p-type dopant.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein theepitaxially forming the channel semiconductor material on a surface ofthe first semiconductor material filling at least a portion of the finstructure openings comprises epitaxially depositing a silicon containingsemiconductor material that is intrinsic.
 13. The method of claim 10,wherein the gate structure comprises a gate dielectric and at least oneof an n-type work function metal or a p-type work function metal. 14.The method of claim 10 further comprising forming a second spacer on thegate structure before forming the second semiconductor material.
 15. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the second semiconductor material is formedusing an epitaxial deposition process.